CD release party planned for Celtic group Equinox's new album, 'Autumnal Equinox'

View full sizeFile | The Saginaw NewsEquinox celebrates the release of its new album, "Autumnal Equinox."

SAGINAW, MI — Jean Marie Learman can think of at least five other songs that share lyrics with Equinox’s “Same Old Man,” with even Siusan O’Rourke’s “Leather Wing Bat” dipping into the traditional Celtic stream as well.

But give a listen to the Celtic band’s version, included in its new album, “Autumnal Equinox,” and you’ll find a subtle something that sets it apart from the rest. “Ladies, step forward” sounds like a party song, Learman said, while the rhythms create a whistle-while-you-work tune.

They’ll perform works from “Autumnal Equinox” and more at a CD
release party Saturday, April 28, at Saginaw’s White Crow Conservatory
of Music.

“There’s an Appalachian feel to the verses, too,” she said, and it’s not by mistake.

First of all, many who settled in Appalachia came from Irish and Scottish stock. And this release, Learman added, celebrates what else she and bandmates Vern Pococke, Bobbie Pennington, Leslie Gregory, Katherine Morris and Liz Sauer bring to the traditional fare.

“You would never hear a bass in a true Celtic band, or pipes with a fiddle,” Learman said. But after a decade of competing with musicians born and raised in the music, “we decided to put our own spin on it, singing the songs in a different way. We can’t play as if we grew up there — we didn’t — but we can work in some of our influences so it’s not like something you’ve heard 10 times already.”

Pococke, noticing that a lot of old Westerns had Celtic pipes in the background, started playing around with different sounds in “The Scotland the Brave Suite.” That’s where you’ll hear what was once a forceful march slowed into a dark ballad, Learman said.

“The words are so forceful, and when you slow it down, it speaks for itself,” she said.

Morris, a maritime folk singer, and Gregory, a classically trained musician well steeped in contra dance, weave their styles in and around the familiar melodies, she said, and you can really hear it in “The Raven.”

“Bobbie went to my husband Dennis, who is a bagpiper, for lessons, and we talked him into teaching us a jig,” Learman said. “We spent the whole summer learning ‘The Raven’ and six months finding a way to do it like no one else did.”

Morris’ guitar and Gregory’s fiddle bring the contra sound, “and it evolved from there,” Learman said. “It’s a very dark tune that grew out of this very bright, fast jig.”

When Dennis Lowe heard what his wife had done, “he was like, ‘What are you doing?’ But he thought it was cool.”

“Are You Sleeping, Maggie?” is another example, she said, as band members worked for months on setting the perfect tone with everything from fiddles to whistles.

They’ve come a long way from the three guys who discovered a common love of Celtic music while working in a kitchen together years ago, Learman said. Pococke is the only founding member left, “and each of us came into it a little differently,” she said. “They would hold these little jam sessions, and when we played out, we went through about four names before we settled on Equinox.”

One of the things that makes “Autumnal Equinox” work so well, she said, is that they’re more seasoned musicians now. An idol told them long ago that as long as you’re having fun, it’s doesn’t matter how you sound, but Equinox is delivering on both fronts now, she said.

It’s a bittersweet time as well, she said, as Pennington leaves the band for family obligations, and Sauer, who has danced with Equinox since she was 15, heads to Florida to continue her graduate studies in ceramics.

“Dennis has stepped in for Bobbie, and we’re excited to see where that is going to take us,” Learman said. “And Liz, she’s such a beautiful dancer and so committed, it’s going to be hard to replace that visual element to our live shows.”

Sauer’s last show is in June, Learman said, at the Cascade Falls Park in Jackson. And bass player Ryan Fitzgerald will step in for the White Crow show, with orders to step outside the box on this one.

“It’s been an amazing journey, especially when you consider that we all started late in this and still have our day jobs,” Learman said. “This is a major step forward, and we’re especially proud of what we’ve done with this album.

“We got our copies delivered right before Christmas and four months later, we’re still not tired of listening to it.”

“Equinox in Concert at the Crow” begins at 7 p.m. April 28 at the White Crow Conservatory of Music, 3736 Mackinaw in Saginaw. Tickets cost $12.